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Exodus 37

1Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 2He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside and made a gold molding around it. 3He cast four gold rings for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on its other side. 4He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark. 6He made an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 7He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover, 8one cherub at this end and one cherub at that end. From the atonement cover itself he made the cherubim at its two ends. 9The cherubim spread their wings upward, sheltering the atonement cover with their wings. Their faces were toward one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the atonement cover.

10He made the table of acacia wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11He overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 12He made a rim a handbreadth wide around it and made a gold molding around its rim. 13He cast four gold rings for it and put the rings on the four corners at its four legs. 14The rings were close to the rim, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16He made the utensils for the table of pure gold: its dishes and its ladles, its bowls and its pitchers with which drink offerings were poured.

17He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18Six branches came out from its sides: three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. 19Three cups shaped like almond blossoms were on one branch, a calyx and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms on the next branch, a calyx and a flower; so for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. 20On the lampstand itself were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with its calyxes and its flowers. 21A calyx was under the first pair of branches coming from it, a calyx under the next pair of branches coming from it, and a calyx under the last pair of branches coming from it, for the six branches coming out from it. 22Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it; all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 23He made its seven lamps, and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24He made it and all its utensils from a talent of pure gold.

25He made the incense altar of acacia wood, a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it. 26He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, its walls all around, and its horns, and made a gold molding around it. 27He made two gold rings for it below its molding, on its two ribs, on its two sides, as holders for poles to carry it with them. 28He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 29He made the holy anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

Translation notes 4

37:1–9 — Ark and atonement cover. Ark means the covenant chest; the cover's ritual association is preserved rather than treating it as only a lid. The term rendered feet can also refer to corners or supports, so the exact ring placement is uncertain. Cherubim are winged sacred figures whose full appearance is not specified here.

37:10–16 — Table vessels. The conventional identifications of the vessels are provisional. Their ordering here differs from 25:29: bowls precede pitchers in this report, and the translation retains that difference.

37:17–24 — Lampstand. This is for oil lamps, not candles. “Calyxes” names flower-related ornaments also rendered knobs or bulbs. The six side branches, central shaft, and seven lamps remain distinct; the talent is a weight of gold, not a coin.

37:25–29 — Incense furnishings. The ribs/sides expression does not fix every structural detail of the ring placement. The oil and incense are reported as made, without repeating the formulas or replacing them with modern recipes.